Tashigi froze on the spot, looking at Logan with a mix of helplessness and frustration. For a moment, she didn't even know what to say.
In truth, she knew Logan wasn't weak.
Not long after they first met, she had watched him clumsily swing a Seastone greatsword taller than himself and had grown curious. She tried lifting it once—
That single attempt sent her stumbling backward and crashing to the ground.
The sword was simply too heavy.
She estimated it weighed close to a hundred jin.
Later, Logan personally admitted that Zhenhai weighed exactly 108 jin.
From that day on, she never underestimated this handsome boy who practiced nothing but two sword techniques.
She stepped forward and reached out, placing a hand on Logan's forehead.
"You're not running a fever… so why are you talking nonsense today? I know you're not weak, but at best you're only around my level. Becoming a Major? That's impossible."
After a brief pause, she added seriously,
"Still, I believe in you. With your effort and talent, you could definitely become a Major in a few years."
Logan didn't dodge. He let her touch his forehead and simply smiled gently.
"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
That radiant smile instantly sent the nearby girls into a daze.
Tashigi sighed in defeat.
"You don't know anything. The next Major promotion exam is still half a year away."
"There's another way, isn't there?" Logan said with a sly grin, winking at her.
He had already looked into it.
Once a person joined the Marines as a regular soldier, they couldn't leave at will—doing so would label them a deserter and land them in serious legal trouble.
However, once someone reached the rank of Major and donned the white coat with black lettering—the Justice Cloak—they gained the right to resign.
Aside from passing the Major examination, there was another path:
As long as one could hold out for five minutes against any Marine Colonel, they would be exceptionally promoted to Major.
So far, however, no one at Marine Headquarters had ever succeeded this way.
Tashigi grew anxious.
"You've really gone crazy. You have no idea how strong someone has to be to become a Colonel."
"I do," Logan replied calmly.
"Then who are you planning to challenge?" Tashigi pressed. "Have you picked someone?"
Logan answered without hesitation.
"Colonel Smoker. We get along fairly well, and he's your superior. Even if I lose, he'll probably hold back."
Tashigi let out a heavy sigh.
"You're wrong. He's a devil. At most, he won't kill you. Don't think that just because you have a Seastone greatsword you can restrain him."
Logan merely smiled and didn't explain further.
"Just wait and watch tomorrow."
Seeing Logan leave, the onlookers realized there would be no more spectacle and gradually dispersed.
Only Tashigi remained behind, stamping her foot angrily.
Inside Marine Headquarters, the courtyards were deep and quiet, filled with the faint fragrance of grass and trees.
This was probably the most peaceful place in the entire headquarters.
Surrounded by the sea, Logan could always catch its distinct scent here.
Before long, he arrived—familiar as ever—at the door of Garp's office.
Nearly everyone in headquarters knew about his relationship with Garp, so no one tried to stop him along the way.
Creak.
Logan slowly pushed the door open.
Inside sat a tall elderly man with graying hair, holding a newspaper so high it completely covered his face.
Thunderous snoring echoed through the room.
…As expected. Old Man Garp had fallen asleep again.
Logan walked over and yanked the newspaper away, revealing a transparent sleep bubble hanging from Garp's nose.
Pop.
He reached out and poked it with his finger.
Then Logan shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Grandpa Garp! A Yonko has invaded Marine Headquarters!"
"WHAT?! WHO?! WHICH YONKO?!"
The rugged old man jolted awake and sprang to his feet.
With a single slap, he smashed the desk in front of him to pieces. Wood shards flew everywhere, scattering across the floor.
Once Garp fully came to his senses and saw Logan's mischievous grin, he relaxed and cursed with a laugh.
"You brat! Instead of training properly, you come here to ruin your grandpa's sweet dreams."
"Trying to taste grandpa's Fist of Love, are you?"
Over the past ten years, Garp had taken great care of him. Logan felt both gratitude and deep respect for this humorous old man.
"Grandpa Garp," Logan said slowly, "I came to tell you something. I'm leaving."
"Oh?" Garp asked casually. "Where are you going, little Logan—"
Logan rolled his eyes. He had no defense against that nickname.
He really wanted to beat this old man up—but he knew perfectly well that, with his current strength, he still couldn't.
No one would believe that this goofy-looking old man had once pushed Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King himself, to the brink.
Logan felt that even if Garp wasn't as strong as Whitebeard or Red-Haired Shanks, the gap wouldn't be large.
"Tomorrow, I'm leaving the Marines," Logan said calmly. "I'm going to find Luffy and Ace."
Garp suddenly burst into laughter.
"That makes sense. Come to think of it, you haven't seen them in ten years, have you?"
Then he grumbled,
"My two grandsons are the worst—every single one of them ran off to become pirates. Tell me, what's so good about being a pirate anyway?"
Suddenly, Garp froze.
"What did you just say?" His eyes widened as he stood up. "You're leaving the Marines?"
He grabbed Logan's hand, tears instantly welling up.
"Little Logan! You're the only precious treasure I've got left. And now even you are leaving your grandpa!"
"I was hoping you'd become a Marine Admiral someday!"
Logan immediately stepped back and broke free. He really couldn't handle a grown man acting like this.
"My little Logan…" Garp sniffled. "You're not planning to follow Luffy and become a pirate too, are you?"
"Not necessarily a pirate," Logan explained. "But I can't stay at Marine Headquarters anymore."
For once, Garp put away his smile. His expression turned solemn as he slowly walked to the window, his back facing Logan.
"Can you tell grandpa why?"
Logan fell silent.
It had been a long time since he'd seen Garp this serious.
He knew that if he told Garp the truth—that Ace would be captured and executed by the Marines in a few months—Garp would never believe him.
After a long pause, Logan finally said:
"I just want to see the world outside."
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